an aggregate of all things Johnson

On Monday, I took a day trip to Washington, DC. I got on the train way too early in the morning, but it was worth it because I had a full day to explore the city with my Aunts, Amy and Dana. Dana was in town for a conference, but Amy and I got to spend the whole day walking the National Mall and checking out a few museums.

We started at the Capitol building (seen above) and then made our way to the new National Museum of the American Indian. I was thrilled to get to visit that museum. When I was in grad school studying museums we often discussed the, then in progress, Museum of the American Indian. The museum has many beautiful, historic artifacts, but it also has a strong focus on contemporary native communities and cultures. Its use of community curators and consultants from nearly every native tribe in the US was groundbreaking and unprecedented in museum development. The exhibits are emotional and sometimes difficult because they address the atrocities and controversies of the past head on, but they also show that Native Americans are not some quaint, extinct specimens (as museums often implied in the past). They are important members of our communities with living cultures that continue to make a large impact on our country. The museum does a great job of showing how native traditions are continued today… I could have spent hours reading every panel and learning about each of the tribes!

The museum is also a beautiful building designed by Native American architect, Douglas Cardinal… I took lots of photos!

It was really hot out on Monday, but we persevered and checked out the sculpture garden at the National Gallery of Art (where I was excited to see a Roxy Paine piece) and then briefly toured the Museum of American History. I liked the exhibit on the Apollo Theater – it had so much style!

After all the museum hopping we were tired and hot, but we managed to meet Dana for dinner and even found a delicious cupcake shop! (I’ll have more on the cupcakes in an upcoming review.) It was a great day! I wish I could have stayed a few more days in DC, but I have so much going on over the next few weeks that I had to get home…

I stole the idea for this fun exercise in positivity from a really lovely blog, Calico & Co, and thought it was appropriate since this is my 30th year of life on Earth…

Enjoy my list of 30 things I ♥:

I ♥ candy.
I ♥ coffee.
I ♥ sunshine.
I ♥ snail mail.
I ♥ my iPhone.
I ♥ Photoshop.
I ♥ sleeping in.
I ♥ the internet.
I ♥ my husband.
I ♥ pretty paper.
I ♥ video games.
I ♥ funny people.
I ♥ art museums.
I ♥ baby animals.
I ♥ Team in Training.
I ♥ tasty sandwiches.
I ♥ pre-war buildings.
I ♥ exploring NYC on foot.
I ♥ my little chihuahua dog.
I ♥ exercising and seeing results.
I ♥ parties and party decorations.
I ♥ ultra fine point Sharpie markers.
I ♥ real, delicious, healthy, whole foods.
I ♥ cupcakes! (Really, any cute dessert.)
I ♥ finishing a task and/or reaching a goal.
I ♥ my family (extended & in-laws included).
I ♥ fantasizing about my future dream house.
I ♥ sparkling water (acqua frizzante in Italian).
I ♥ uncompromisingly friendly and optimistic attitudes.
I ♥ chatting & laughing with friends (usually at inappropriate times).

…and just one more for good measure…

I ♥ the magical universe – hey, we exist!

Summer rolls on and on. It has been hot and it has been fun. A lot of my attention has been devoted to running lately, but I’ve also made time for some other activities. Travis and I went to a free, outdoor, She & Him concert on the 4th of July. It was fun but HOT! There were a lot of questionable and sweaty people wearing very tiny bathing suits even though there wasn’t a place to swim… it was a little gross. It was our first time to Governor’s Island and I definitely want to go back on a more comfortable day to picnic and rent one of the two-person bike cars.

What else is up in my life? Here, I’ll break it all down in an easy-to-read, bulleted list:

• Travis and I had our 7th wedding anniversary on July 3rd. We are pretty low key celebrators, but we did go out to dinner at Press 195 and had a fabulous dessert at The Chocolate Room. Yum!
• I wanted to write more about the 5 mile race I ran with Team in Training in Central park on June 27th, but my friend Jessica already did such a good job. You should go read about the race on her blog, Jessica Runs Like a Girl. (Gentle reminder: there is still plenty of time to donate to the cause!)
• I have imported all of the articles that I have written for Craft Critique into this blog. They are all post-dated to align with when they were originally published and their formatting is a bit wonky, but they are all here. Check them out.
• Swap-bot recently hosted a sponsored swap in conjunction with today’s movie release of Despicable Me. It was sort of a big deal because Universal Pictures sent each of the participants a free Minion character from the movie. The swappers then took photos of the Minions around their hometowns. There have been tons of great pictures submitted. You can check some out on the Swap-bot blog. We really hope to do more sponsored swaps in the future!

I guess that is it. Have a great weekend!

Rather than risk ruining eight year streak of at least one post a month for lack of having anything interesting to share, I am going to share a few things that I have been up to lately.

First, my knee. Recovery continues to be my primary focus. I am progressing very nicely according to my physical therapist and my doctor. For the first time since I tore my ACL, swelling in my knee has come down to near normal levels and I have full range of motion. I have almost regained enough strength in my leg to start running again. Recently I have noticed how I crave going out for runs and since I can’t run yet, I just keep buying new pairs of running shoes.

Like most of the country, I got caught up in the World Cup this year. After a strong CONCACAF and Confederations Cup showing last year, and then drawing such an easy group, I was hoping for an exciting cup and it was sad to see them lose to Ghana again. A lot can happen in four years, but the US have promising young talent and their key players shouldn’t be too old to compete next time around. Speaking of next time around, Rachel and I have already decided to go to Brazil for the next World Cup. We don’t have many plans yet except that we are going to be there for the entire cup. Who is going to join us?

This Saturday will be Rachel and my seventh wedding anniversary. Seven years sure goes fast. It is amazing to think about much we have done and the places we have been over the years.

Finally, Sunday is shaping up to become an epic 4th of July. She & Him is playing a free show on Governors Island at 4pm and then Old 97’s is playing a free show over at the South Street Seaport at 7pm. I think we are going to try to make both shows and then catch some fireworks after. Legendary! Anyone want to join us?

I bought new shampoo! Big whoop, you say? Well, it took me nearly a year to save my pennies – or maybe it is more like it took me a year to go a specific NYC-style of crazy that causes you to become comfortable with spending way too much for things – but I purchased the Philip B Russian Amber Imperial Shampoo that I first wrote about last July. I know, I know, even the name is ostentatious, and the price is way worse. (I do want it to be known that I only bought the smaller, less bank-busting size.) Before you judge me too harshly, you have to read the insanely good reviews. Reviewers have literally said, “Whatever your wish for your hair, the shampoo grants the wish.” Definitely sounds too good to be true, but what if they are right?!

So, I used the shampoo for the first time today. What did I think? First, I have to give you my hair backstory: I am terrible at doing hair. I usually use cheap Suave shampoo. I hate using styling product. I blow dry my hair, but I use no other styling tools. I do get my hair highlighted about once every ten weeks, but I am too chicken to take any risks on my cut. Also, I am lazy. Basically, if the Imperial Shampoo really is the miracle that can turn my daily hair routine into one quick shampooing step and give me pretty hair, it will *almost* be worth the price for me…

The verdict: It may be a miracle! The shampoo is thick, like honey, and it smells really amazing. A sweet almond, vanilla deliciousness. The shampoo does contain sulfates, which I know some people avoid, but I like that it does lather a bit. (I can’t quite get on board with non-lathering shampoos.) I left the shampoo in for five minutes, as directed, but I did not follow with conditioner or any other styling product. I let my hair nearly air dry completely, but then blew it dry just a bit to make it extra straight. I did not use a flatiron. My hair turned out shiny and smooth and straight with much more volume and way less fly-aways than usual. Usually the ends of my hair get a bit frizzy and poofy due to all of the highlighting they’ve endured, but so far they are staying perfectly in line after using the Imperial Shampoo. (See my “after” photo below. Ignore my make-up-less face and the cluttered background – just focus on the hair, people!) And maybe the best part, my hair smells awesome. If this shampoo were even close to a normal price, I would recommend it to everyone! I definitely cannot afford to use it every day, but I will look forward to using it for special occasions.